Chapter 26: The Brilliance of Mechas

"Useless! A bunch of useless fools!!"

Mayor Changsha furiously swept everything off his desk. The sound of objects shattering and crashing onto the floor echoed through the room.

As the mayor of Linbing City, he had struggled tirelessly to climb to this position. Even though it was only a second-tier city, it was still a prestigious and honorable post. But today, a single incident had nearly cost him everything.

Linbing City was just about a hundred kilometers from the Extreme North, one of the few wealthy cities in the border regions.

"Mayor, you know we couldn't stop them. Their speed reached nearly 700 kilometers per hour, equivalent to that of mechas. And during the pursuit, we couldn't recklessly use force for fear of damaging city property or causing civilian casualties. Even after they left the city, tracking them in the endless snowy wilderness was extremely difficult. And even if we intercepted them, the enemy's overall strength remains unknown.

To be able to raid six different trains across four cities in the Federation, with five of those attempts being successful, the only one that failed was due to the intervention of a Titled Douluo. Just from these points alone, it's clear that these terrorists cannot be weak. Moreover, they are truly ruthless—cutting off a train car every certain distance, forcing us to stop and rescue the people inside, making it impossible for us to pursue effectively."

Changsha clenched his fists and glared at the officer in front of him, Zeta. "I don't care what methods you use! I'm giving you my full authority—if we don't have people, find people! If we don't have mechas, buy mechas! You must capture those criminals! Otherwise, both you and I will be removed from office."

After sitting down to calm himself, Changsha activated a blue holographic screen. "This is the satellite coordinate… The train is here?" he muttered. "It's clearly been abandoned. The nearest city is Nonalinso, also known as the Forgotten City. That must be where they went."

"This operation is indeed extremely dangerous, but we have no choice. The Federation's top officials have given their orders—I can't refuse. Otherwise, I would have covered this up long ago."

"Yes, sir!" Zeta saluted and quickly left. He seemed obedient, but in reality, he wanted nothing more than to see Changsha fall from power.

As they approached the city, Gu You was stunned.

This was nothing like what he had seen from a distance. Instead of a thriving metropolis, it was a ruined wasteland. Thick, massive purple vines coiled around buildings, stretching all the way to their rooftops. A rotting stench filled the air.

As they moved deeper into the city, the vines gradually thinned, and the figures of people began to appear.

But… were they really people?

Their bones were exposed, their eyes devoid of light, wandering aimlessly like the walking dead.

Crack!

The sound of bones snapping echoed through the silent city. A person collapsed, motionless.

"Their souls are gone," Gu You murmured. He had to be cautious—his true enemy was about to reveal itself.

"You see them? Those are our faithful followers. The most devoted ones," the masked leader sneered.

No one dared to respond.

"You and I both know the truth—there's at least one Spirit Douluo-level Evil Soul Master in that city. I need your support… Alright, thank you."

Zeta caressed his purple-rank mecha. "Old friend, if we survive this mission, I promise I'll upgrade you to black-rank."

"Board the mechas!"

Dozens of purple-rank mechas powered up, their dark mechanical eyes slowly opening, glowing ominously red.

"Charge!"

The roar of engines and the battle cries of the enforcement squad shook the skies.

"Stay inside! Don't try anything foolish."

Bang!

The heavy, pitch-black prison door slammed shut, followed by the sound of multiple locks clicking into place.

"We're doomed! We're completely doomed!"

The prisoners were drowning in despair.

Only Gu You remained calm, sitting in meditation to maintain his peak condition.

Grrr…

His stomach let out a faint growl.

Great… Of all times…

Strangely, for the past few days, he hadn't felt any hunger at all.

A thought crossed his mind. Could it be because I came into contact with the Silver Dragon King?

After a moment of hesitation, Gu You's hand glowed faintly, and a high-energy nutrition bar—containing 500 calories—appeared in his grasp.

Before he left, he had stocked up on supplies. He had over six kilograms of such food, knowing he might need it.

Gu You took a bite. Apple-flavored.

"You have food…"

A whisper startled him. He turned to see a pair of round eyes staring at him in the darkness.

Crap!

He quickly gestured for the little girl to stay silent. Then, with slow and careful movements, he took out a lollipop and gently slid it across the floor toward her.

Please work… Gu You prayed.

If the others found out he had food, chaos would erupt. They'd fight, even kill, over a single bite.

It wasn't that Gu You didn't want to help them. But with his current strength, all he could do was protect himself. If he were a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't just save them—he'd have countless ways to make those Evil Soul Masters reform entirely.

"Xiaoyu, where did you get that candy?"

The little girl's mother, disheveled and trembling, stared at her.

"Uh…"

Xiaoyu refused to speak.

"Haha… Someone has food. Someone definitely has food! Who is it?! WHO?!"

Her mind had completely snapped.

"Fire!"

Seven Level-6 Fixed Soul Guided Cannon Shells launched from the mechas at extreme speed, raining destruction upon the city below.

BOOM!

Explosions rocked the air.

Each of these Level-6 shells contained cluster warheads, breaking into 18 smaller charges upon detonation. Their combined firepower reached that of a Level-7 shell.

Then, the sound of mechanical shifting rang out. The shoulder-mounted pods of over a dozen mechas deployed, revealing rows upon rows of muzzles.

Hundreds of Level-4 rapid-fire Soul Guided Cannons began their relentless barrage, streaking through the sky like a torrential storm.

Air raid sirens blared throughout the city.

Hidden anti-air turrets activated, locking onto the mechas.

A surge of dark energy erupted from below—evil soul power rising to the sky!

Three Soul Emperors.

Six Soul Kings.

And countless others.

Though none below the Soul Ancestor level had escaped unscathed, suffering severe injuries from the bombardment.

"You bastards! You dare follow us here? Do you think this is still the Federation's territory?!"

A furious Evil Soul Master, a Soul Emperor, activated his sixth soul ring.

Black.

A true ten-thousand-year soul skill.

Evil God's Descent!

The sky darkened.

A colossal shadowy figure slowly took shape.

"Hahahaha! Behold! This monster is born from the resentful souls of countless Douluo citizens! They despise us, yet they cannot kill us!

But today… they will kill you instead!

Your so-called guardianship, your so-called duty… will all be reduced to nothing!

Look closely! These people you once protected—watch as they devour you piece by piece!!"